Beth Tweddle excited by potential of British Gymnastics' newest sister act - the Gadirovas

[ASFN Admin]

For the past couple of Olympic cycles, British women’s gymnastics has been dominated by Becky and Ellie Downie. Now, a new pair of sisters – the 16-year-old Gadirova twins – are showing their class. Insiders are already predicting four athletes, but only two surnames, in the team for Tokyo. This week’s European Championships have delivered a first senior opportunity for Jessica Gadirova. (Her sister Jennifer was absent, resting a minor injury in preparation for next month’s Olympic trials.) Jessica responded magnificently in the qualifying rounds, finishing top of the table on the vault and third on the floor – an especially fine effort considering she had suffered a horrible fall on the beam earlier in the day. Jessica will compete in the European all-around final on Saturday – which will be broadcast on BBC iPlayer from 12.30pm – having qualified in eighth place. If she can complete her flick-aerial combination on the beam, rather than landing hard on her left knee as she did in qualifying, she has a shot at displacing the three Russian women from the top of the standings. Elite gymnasts are often categorised into the power merchants (Simone Biles) and the graceful movers (Laurie Hernandez). The Gadirovas are already attracting plenty of excited comment because of the way they combine a dancer’s elegance with ambitious, explosive tumbling. "Lots of people involved in gymnastics have been texting me saying how beautiful Jessica is to watch," said Beth Tweddle, the three-time world champion who will be commentating on the European finals over the next three days. "There have been so many videos of her floor routine and her vault going around on social media this week, with people just commenting on how nice they are. When she does her double-twisting double-back somersault on the floor, it’s an amazing move. "Also, after that nasty fall on beam, it was amazing for Jessica to pick herself straight back up and perform on the next two apparatus as well as she did – and all at her first senior event. There’s a lot of love for her on the internet. People have obviously seen her coming through the ranks. I am really excited to see how both the sisters progress through on the senior stage."

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